Category: Neighborhood News

This morning’s Philadelphia Inquirer features about the transformation of Conshohocken, which–as one reader said this morning–was considered a “ghetto” when she was growing up 30 years ago in Lafayette Hill. The borough has become–according both to the Inquirer and the April issue of Philadelphia Magazine–one of the Philadelphia area’s hottest neighborhoods. The Inky puts it in terms of demographics “Over the last decade, Conshohocken’s population has grown younger, wealthier and whiter, according to U.S. Census data.”

• Avenue of the Arts: Saturday, the Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts Street Fair runs on Broad from Chestnut to South with food, music, performance, rides and all manner of fun from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. • Kensington: Saturday, 3rd Ward is having a preview event of its co-working space that’s slated to [...]

Philly has 10 City Council districts, and according to data analysis by NewsWorks, one of them leads the rest in property tax delinquencies. But it’s not necessarily the one that you’d think.

The 8th District (above), like all Council districts, is oddly shaped and includes disparate neighborhoods–everywhere from 22nd and Allegheny to Stenton and Hillcrest avenues. Represented by Cindy Bass, the 8th owes $94,151,727–the most of any of the 10 districts.

Some developers have seen the Old City Civic Association’s frequent objections to new projects in the neighborhood as obstreperous and stifling. Others have seen the same objections as essential bulwarks to the destruction of the neighborhood’s historical legacy. Whatever the opinion, OCCA has decided to disband the committee that fought the battles against developers–both those of large projects, like 205 Race, and smaller ones, like a corner bar.

Property Staff Photographer Laura Kicey went to Seaside Heights, New Jersey, a couple weekends ago to see what the town is grappling with as the summer season approaches. The people she spoke with assured her everything would be ready by Memorial Day.

Remember 1429 Walnut Street, the big office building with Armani Exchange on the first floor? Of course you do. There’s still time to get a bid in online. Next bid has to be $3 million or more, though. • 1429 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102 / Event Item #: B103-100 [Auction.com]

A Norristown woman who was hit on the head with an ashtray and stabbed in the neck with broken glass by her ex-boyfriend ended up being airlifted to a hospital because she’d been too afraid to call police when her attacker showed up. She had already been threatened with eviction after calling the police when the same ex-boyfriend attacked her with a brick, and was now on a “probationary period” in terms of being evicted from her apartment.

The building for sale at 50th and Chestnut. Photo via Steve Powers' website.

You’ve seen them on the buildings along the route of the Market-Frankford El–artist Steve Powers’ “Love Letter” murals, which are evocative, poignant, funny and one of the most inventive projects the Mural Arts Program has ever done. Best seen from the train, with messages that use colloquial language and a mix of type and color, the murals are accessible to a range of people in a way art isn’t always. And what could enliven an El trip more than flashes of mysterious messages that zip by, making riders look forward to the next day’s ride to decode the buildings that often blur like blight?

Rendering of the crazy-special new Walgreen's to come to the site of the old Borders on Broad Street. Via PhillyChitChat.com.

Philly Post contributor HughE Dillon has long been interested in the fate of the old Borders on Broad Street since it closed, but he found, in his reporting, that no one really wanted it due to the lack of parking, the weird mezzanine and the steep escalators. What business gets enough foot traffic to not care about parking? A chain drugstore, of course, though this is far from your typical chain drugstore.

The Chestnut Hill Historical Society has put more than 11,000 of its photos online. As with PhillyHistory.org, they’re in a database that can be can searched with specific criteria. It’s more fun, however, to click on “Random Images,” which is what we did to come up with the above image, one of a collection of interiors of Baleroy, a grand mansion at 111 West Mermaid.